Rice Pudding

http://userealbutter.com/2012/01/26/rice-pudding-recipe/

arborio rice



Having attempted numerous rice pudding recipes over the last couple of decades, I was never really satisfied with any of them. That is, until I came across this one in Fine Cooking last summer. It calls for the addition of egg yolks, which is what you do to make custard. SCORE!

eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla bean, cinnamon
pour in a quart of whole milk


The version I made uses arborio rice because I wanted it to be a thick pudding. This short grain rice offers more starch to help achieve that lovely consistency. Everything but the eggs simmers on the stove until the rice is tender. At that point, you want to add the egg yolks – but if you stir them directly into the rice pudding, they will curdle… cook. That’s blegh. Instead, beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and whisk in a cup of the hot rice pudding to temper the yolks. It’s enough to bring the egg temperature up without cooking the eggs. Then stir that mixture into the saucepan.

a little rice goes a long way
tempering the egg yolks


Stir the pudding over medium heat until it thickens. It’s just like making custard for many of the ice cream recipes in my archives. You can serve this hot or cold. I like both. The original recipe offers mixing in some whipped cream, but I am perfectly happy without it. This is a creamy, rich, thick pudding all on its own and it is fantastic comfort food.

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Rice Pudding
Fine Cooking, issue #111 (June/July 2011) 1 vanilla bean
4 cups plus 2/3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup white rice, such as Carolina long grain,basmati, jasmine, or arborio (I used arborio)
7 tbsps granulated sugar
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 large egg yolks
Use a knife to split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out. Place the seeds, vanilla bean, 4 cups of the milk, the rice, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the milk comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir often and gently until the rice is tender – approximately 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Continue to whisk the egg yolks while ladling in a cup of the hot rice-milk to “temper” the egg yolks (to avoid cooking the eggs like it would if you poured the eggs directly into the saucepan). Scrape the egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir in the last 2/3 cup of milk until everything is incorporated. Return the saucepan to the stove on medium heat and stir constantly until the rice pudding starts to boil (only a few minutes). Remove from heat and place the pudding in a medium bowl and set plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Place the bowl in or on an ice bath to cool. When the pudding has cooled, you can remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Divvy the pudding into 6 servings, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I like to grate some nutmeg on top right before serving.